Cinnamon Rolls

I read the Pioneer Woman's cooking blog on occasion. She is a trip if you haven't read her blog. Ever since I began reading her blog, I have wanted to try my hand at some of her recipes. She just makes them sound so good. So for my b-day Brunch, I decided to make her Cinnamon Roll recipe. They sound amazing, so why not?



Dough
1 quart whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
9 cups all-purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 scant teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon salt
Filling
2 cups melted butter, plus more as needed
1/4 cup ground cinnamon for sprinkling
2 cups sugar, plus more as needed
Maple Icing
2 pounds powdered sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted
1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee
Dash of salt
1 tablespoon maple flavoring or maple extract

1. For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat; do not allow the mixture to boil. Set aside and cool to lukewarm.
2. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.
3. Add 8 cups of flour. Stir until just combined, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour.
4. Remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl.
5. To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle.
6. To make the filling, pour 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly.
7. Generously sprinkle half the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of sugar over the butter. Don't be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar!
8. No, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly toward you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight.
9. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together.
10. Transfer to a cutting board and with a sharp knife, make 1 1/2 inch slices. One log will produce 20 to 25 rolls.
11. Pour a couple of tablespoons of melted butter into the desired pie pans or baking dishes and swirl to coat.
12. Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd.
13. Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans. Preheat the oven to 375F. Cover the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 13 to 17 minutes, until golden brown. Don't allow rolls to become overly brown.
14. In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, coffee, and salt.
15. Splash in the maple flavoring.
16. Whisk until very smooth. Taste and add in more maple, sugar, butter, or other ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be thick but still pourable.
17. While the rolls are still warm, generously drizzle icing over the top.
18. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing's moisture and flavor.

Making these cinnamon rolls became quite the adventure. Maybe not in a good way. I have been interviewing a lot this month and this past week I was in New Mexico. Before I left for New Mexico, I bought all of the ingredients, or so I thought, for this recipe. I got back from interviewing late Saturday night and the brunch was on the next morning. So I started to make the cinnamon rolls. When I opened up the flour for the dough portion of the recipe, I discovered my flour had those little pill bugs in it. Gross, right? So I threw out the flour and went to the HEB to buy more. I bought more flour...returned home....only to discover that I had no butter after I had rolled out the dough. I always have butter. Infuriated now, I returned to HEB for butter. Tonight, just wasn't my night. What can I say? I returned home to finish rolling out the cinnamon rolls near midnight. I discovered that the first batch I rolled that I did not roll tight enough. So if you make this recipe, do be scared to roll the dough tight! You live, you learn. Cutting the rolls was also a chore with them deciding to unroll themselves. Anyways, I stored the rolls in the refrigerator overnight to be made in the AM right before the brunch.

The next morning making the rolls went smoothly. No problems. Whew! I give these rolls 4 out of 5 stars. They were sinful and good! I was concerned for my arteries. Next time I make them, I will make sure I have all of the proper ingredients for one. Then I will also use floss to cut the rolls. I have heard that this is easier than using a knife. Lastly, I would use maybe a little less of the delish maple icing. The icing covered some of the taste of the cinnamon in the rolls. Overall though, the rolls were a success despite my lack of organization. Thanks Pioneer Woman!

Anise-Almond Biscotti

I have never made biscotti before. The very thought of making biscotti was quite intimidating to me actually. It is just one of those foods that comes in a plastic wrapper at Starbucks that you impulsively buy at the last minute because it is calling your name. Once you begin to eat it, the biscotti is normally so hard that you think you may break off your teeth. The overpriced $3 coffee then becomes necessary. No longer does the coffee just fill your caffeine requirement for the day, but now it used to soften biscotti. Otherwise, you could potentially have an expensive dentist bill to pay with a tooth broken via a biscotti accident. So I began my biscotti quest with my roommate for the month. (Both of us new biscotti makers) We found this recipe for Anise-Almond Biscotti in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unblanched almonds
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure anise extract
3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon anise seeds

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven until fragant and just beginning to turn light golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer nuts to a clean surface; spread evenly, and let cool completely. Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

2) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the anise extract. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture, and beat on low speed until combined. Mix in anise seeds and toasted almonds.

3) Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead to evenly distribute the nuts and seeds. Divide in half. Shape each piece into a 18-inch log, and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Brush beaten egg over the surface of the logs, and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar, if using.

4) Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until logs are lightly browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Transfer parchment and logs to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 F.


5) Place logs on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange slices cut side down on the rack. Bake until firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven; let biscotti cool completely on the rack. Biscotti can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

***Note I did not add anise seeds or sanding sugar to the recipe

I give this recipe 5 out of 5 stars. I will definitely be making these again! The biscotti had an excellent consistency and wasn't too hard. Definitely a perfect companion for a cup of coffee.

Apple Crisp

On my second day of my Lubbock adventure, I went to the Apple Butter Festival in Idalou with my friends. It was raining outside. So unfortunately, apple picking and the hayride were not an option. However, we did get to eat some delicious barbecue and taste honey, jelly and apple butter. (of course) I bought some apples and honey at the festival. In addition, I also bought a little book with all Apple recipes. Interested to try one of the recipes when we got back to the house, I picked a recipe where all of the ingredients were already available, Apple Crisp.


Ingredients:
5 apples, sliced and peeled
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oats
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup apple juice or water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Place half the apples in an oiled 9- x 9- inch pan. Blend together remaining ingredients, except juice, and crumble half the flour mixture over the apples. Cover with remaining apples and flour mixture. Pour juice over top. Bake 35 minutes.

Overall, I give this recipe 3 out of 5 stars. It is not the awesome cooks in the kitchen what lead me to this particular rating. : ) The apple crisp just wasn't right. The texture wasn't what I expected. I expected more of an apple pie taste with a crumbly top. However, the apple crisp was more bland and soft. I wanted it to be crunchier...like the crisp in its name. I don't know what I can do to improve it but I will let you guys know. My friend who baked with me was not as critical on the recipe and commented that she thought it was good.

Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcakes

This weekend, I am in Lubbock visiting two close friends. Being excellent hosts, they have packed this weekend full of adventures from visiting Llano winery to their favorite restaurants. I think they are trying to convince me to move to Lubbock. : ) Tonight, we are going to a little party and it was suggested to bring something to share. By now, you realize that I love baking and my friend shares this love. We wanted to bring something easy to share and different than what we normally cook. Her husband loves peanut butter. So I suggested to branch out from peanut butter just this once. In the end, we settled on this Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcake Recipe from one of the Kraft magazines.


Ingredients
1 pkg (2-layer size) white cake mix
1 pkg (4 serving size) Jell-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
1 cup water
4 egg whites
2 Tbsp oil
1 pkg (16 oz) powdered sugar
1 pkg (8 oz) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 Tbsp, lemon juice

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, egg whites and oil in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paperlined 2 1/2-inch muffin cups.
2) Bake 21 to 24 min, or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min., remove to wire racks. Cool completely.
3) Meanwhile, beat sugar, cream cheese, butter and juice with electric mixer on low speed until well blended. Frost cupcakes.

Makes 24 servings, 1 cupcake each.

Jazz It Up: Stir 1 tsp, grated lemon peel into frosting mixture. Garnish with additional grated peel.

My first comment about this baking experience is that I want a Kitchen Aid Mixer. Wow! This was my first time using one and it was so awesome. Second, be patient. We were really patient to ice these cupcakes (as in we left the house for 4 hours to drink wine and then returned) and the icing turned out great in turn. This also may be because my friend iced them instead of myself. I am not going to lie. I truly lack a gift in icing. However, I hope to hone in on this skill soon.

Overall, I had a great time making these cupcakes with my friend. I would give them 3.5 out of 5 stars. They were easy to make and very moist. They were quite good. I would consider them a solid potential choice for future cupcakes in a hurry to make.

Shortbread Fingers

I did not actually make these Shortbread Fingers. So I can not take credit for them. However, they tasted so good that I could not resist posting them. My little sister Andrea made these from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. Enjoy!


Ingredients
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 325 F. Butter a 12-by-8-inch rimmed baing sheet and line with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on long sides. Whisk together flour and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
2) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until fluffy on medium speed, 3 to 4 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar; continue to beat until very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally, until just incorporated. (It should have the consistency of soft cookie dough.)
3) Using a small offset spatula, evenly spread dough in prepared baking sheet. Chill in the freezer or refrigerator until dough is firm, about 15 minutes.
4) Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until shortbread is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and immediately sprinkle with granulated sugar. While still hot, use a large knife to cut shortbread into 4-by-1 inch pieces. Cool completely in the pan. Shortbread can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Pecan Tassies

Pecan Tassies come to you from Martha Stewart's Cookie book. My dad took my family and I out to dinner tonight. Afterward, my little sister and I decided to conquer the kitchen together. (May I add that she is much better at conquering the kitchen than myself. Alas, maybe someday I will achieve these types of accomplishments. : ) )The decision to make this particular recipe was not easy. We skimmed through quite a few books and finally agreed upon these.

Ingredients

for the dough:
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (4 ounces)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

for the filling:
1 large egg
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temp
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Make dough: Process pecans in a food processor until finely ground (you should have about 1/2 cup). Put mascarpone and butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until well blended. Add flour, ground pecans, and salt; mix just until dough comes together. Alternatively stir together ingredients with a wooden spoon in a large bowl.

2. Roll dough into sixteen 1 inch balls; press into bottoms and up sides of cups of mini muffin tins.

3. Make filling: Whisk the egg, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, butter and salt in a bowl. Stir in pecans. Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons filling into each muffin cup.

4. Bake until crust begins to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely in tins on wire rack. Unmold. Tassies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Andrea did more of the work on these little treats. We had to double the recipe because I made a butter error early on. The first two pans we placed the treats directly in the pan, molding them in the muffin tin itself. The Tassies looked really nice like this but were impossible to get out of the pans intact. The turned into a crumbly mess! So the last pan, we made the treats inside little muffin tins. This worked out much better!

I did not like the treat when we first took them out of the oven. The consistency of the dough just didn't taste right (not sweet enough?) and had a weird texture. I expected them to taste more like pecan pie and instead they had a unique taste to them. However, after refrigerating these treats overnight, they tasted quite good and a lot like pecan pie. It is funny to me how some desserts need some time to be awesome. The mascarpone cheese in the dough may be why these needed some refrigeration and cooling action though. Overall, I give the Pecan Tassies 3.5 out of 5 stars. Next time, I plan on modifying the recipe some to see if I can somehow make the dough a tad bit sweeter.

Cranberry Scones

It is Dining For Women time which equals pot luck. This month's theme was breakfast food. When you think breakfast, who doesn't think scones? Right? : ) I found this scone recipe online on Martha Stewart's website. I had everything to make them except the half and half. So scones it was... Enjoy!



Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for topping
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup (plus 1 tablespoon) half and half
1/2 cup halved cranberries, drained on paper towels

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, baing powder, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 2/3 cup half and half until just moistened. Gently fold in cranberries.

2. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently, 5 to 10 times. Pat into a 1-inch thick round. Cut into 8 wedges; place on a baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Brush tops with remaining tablespoon half-and-half, sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Overall, I think this recipe could use some work. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5. The scones aren't the right density. This may be secondary to my inability to cut butter into flour or from composition of the recipe. Next time I make these though, I am going to do some research on how to get scones to turn out just right. Despite all of my complaining, they still tasted good though and that's what is really important right?

Strawberry Shortcakes

It has been a while since I wrote in the blog. I just started my month of critical care and I am back to the trenches working long hours. I am officially a fourth year medical student though. So yay!! Only one more year to go!! Last Saturday for the fourth of July, the Coop had a cookout. One of my friends suggested making this Strawberry Shortcake recipe from the back of the Bisquick box for the cookout. I have to say I was a little skeptical at first, but when I went to the store and the strawberries were 99 cents, I decided to go for it.


Ingredients:
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/3 cups Original Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions
1) Mix strawberries and 1/2 cup sugar; set aside. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2) Stir Bisquick mix, milk, 3 Tbsp sugar and the butter until soft dough forms. Drop by 6 spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3) Bake 10-12 min or until golden brown. Split warm shortcakes; fill and top with strawberries and whipped toppings.

Makes: 6 shortcakes

Overall, this recipe turned out well. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. For a recipe on the back of a box, it was quite good. I think ripe strawberries are the key though to this little recipe. I recommend cutting each shortcake in half and stuffing the center of the shortcake with whipped cream and strawberries. It is in my humble opinion the only way to eat strawberry shortcake and way better than serving the strawberries on the side : )